


Lumos Like Me

by Rosaroma



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Anxiety, Christmas, Depression, F/M, Good Draco Malfoy, Melancholy, Sad with a Happy Ending, Snow Day
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:14:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28016061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosaroma/pseuds/Rosaroma
Summary: Hermione is being overlooked. Draco is living a similar life and the two collide.
Relationships: Hermione Granger & Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Kudos: 8





	Lumos Like Me

‘Ron, will you help me with my Christmas presents?’ Hermione asked.  
Ron laughed and shook his head, not looking up from the items in his brothers shop.  
Hermione furrowed her brow and frowned. Huffing silently she spun around only to be bumped by Harry and Ginny kissing in the aisles. The presents scattered over the floor, shooting under shelves and heavy feet. Closing her eyes and feeling bereft Hermione pushed her way out of the shop.

As she gained the cold air she looked around tearily. Everything was mounting up, including the snow. The indifference of her friends, overlooking her every comment, every move. If she wasn’t there nobody would notice any difference. She closed her eyes and thought of her parents, probably surfing in Australia as she cried in Hogsmeade.  
‘Granger?’ he puzzled at her lonely figure outside the bustling Weasel shop. Laughter and light filtered out onto the snowy street.  
Her eyes rolled as she scrunched them closed and dug her feet into the snow.  
‘Go away, Malfoy,’ she shook as tears began to stream down her cheeks. This was mortifying, but she supposed she wasn’t embarrassed to look a fool in front of Malfoy.  
He reached for her but the touch of his fingers grazing her arm caused her to gasp and grab her wand. She apparated without thinking of where she wanted to go. Stupid.

Malfoy took firm hold, wrapping his arms around her as he cast a second apparition spell rather desperately. They’d be lucky if they weren’t torn to pieces. The brightest witch of her age, what was she thinking? Something was wrong.

He felt a gash in his side but tried to focus on Malfoy mansion and not losing his grip on Granger. He landed in the snow and took a breath to steady himself. He realised he wasn’t holding her and scrabbled around casting Lumos across the snowy ground. She lay on her back gazing expressionless at the stars, then closed her eyes her chest rising and falling. 

He snapped out of the reverie of watching her and leapt up through the snow until he was hovering over her.  
‘Hermione? Are you hurt?’ he looked down at those blank eyes. She nodded achingly slow and he frowned. He scooped his arms under her and as he lifted her she looked at him properly, seeming to awake from an unpleasant dream. She glanced around, her eyes widening. He smirked.  
‘Not where you meant to apparate?’ he asked.  
‘Oh my gosh,’ she suddenly leapt out of his arms and looked him up and down and then at all her limbs. ‘Did I splinch us?’ she grabbed his forearms, her expression appalled at her neglect of an incredibly serious spell.  
‘Do we look splinched?’ he asked.  
She shook her head turning around to gather where they were. The Malfoy name curled across the giant front gates. Her hand slipped into his and her eyes closed in regret. Pulling her hand away she took a breath. ‘You overpowered my spell after I’d cast it?’ she couldn’t meet his gaze, she was so ashamed of the danger she’d put them in. Her friends would be furious when they found it, although she supposed Malfoy wasn’t going to tell them.

He shrugged and winced as it opened the wound wider on his side. She didn’t see, Hermione was pacing in front of the gates trying to think what to do. She should repay him somehow. What did you give Malfoy’s at Christmas? They probably had more than most families in the country. The clouds uncovered the moon, shining on the snow, and showing up dots of blood, and finally a larger amount seeping into the snow at Malfoy’s feet.  
‘Shall we go in?’ she asked tremulously. She at least wanted to cast some healing charms.  
Malfoy looked confused. ‘I can send you home through the flu network. Save anymore accidents,’ he said, trying to guess at her willingly entering Malfoy manor.  
She nodded and followed him up the hedged approach to the mansion. As they approached lights were lit in the windows by house elves and by the time they reached the door it almost looked like people were home. Malfoy swung the front door open and called for Mitsy.  
‘Take down the wards. Miss Granger is going to flu home to muggle London,’ he said.  
‘Oh,’ Hermione put a hand out, ‘I’ve moved actually. I’m above a bookshop in wizarding London.’  
He looked confused but nodded for Mitsy to go take the wards down.

Hermione twisted her fingers together as she glanced around at the large empty rooms. Marble floors, pillars, chandeliers and painted ceilings. But nothing festive, no sign of joy or his family.  
He blushed and she found it oddly endearing on a face she didn’t tend to find anything but hateful.  
‘Where’s the family?’  
‘Lying low in Europe,’ he said.  
‘Christmas plans?’  
‘Pretending it isn’t happening.’  
‘Sounds perfect,’ she said thoughtfully.  
He noticed her sad wistful glance at the emptiness and not for the first time was concerned for Granger.  
‘What are your plans Granger?’ he asked.  
‘Nothing,’ she said. 

Mitsy had prepped the flu network and dusted off her hands. The glow of the flu fire lit up the edges of Grangers hair in a green glow. She looked like a somewhat festive angel gracing his entry way with her presence.  
‘Can I persuade you to let me cast some healing charms?’ Hermione asked. Her hand gestured vaguely at the spots of blood that had followed them into the house.  
He took a deep breath, he hadn’t thought she’d realised. He looked at her, really looked, and didn’t like what he saw, there under the outer facade. It was like back at Hogwarts, when he’d called her mudblood and she’d pretended it rolled off her. Something was drowning her.  
‘Can I spend Christmas with you?’ he asked. His eyes widened internally, but he managed to keep his face blank. The thought had entered his mind and no sooner had exited his mouth as a request.

**Author's Note:**

> I want to see these two work through the season.


End file.
